Water well owner training set for Aug. 23 in Conroe

Contact: Drew Gholson, 979-845-1461, dgholson@tamu.edu

CONROE–Anyone interested in private water well management is invited to a Texas Well Owner Network training Aug. 23 in Conroe.

The free training is offered to area private water well owners through collaboration with the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District. It will be provided from 1-5 p.m. at the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District Office, 655 Conroe Park North Drive.

“The Texas Well Owner Network is for Texas residents who depend on household wells for their water needs, so they can learn about improving and protecting their community water resources,” said Drew Gholson, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist and network coordinator, College Station. “The program was established to help well owners become familiar with Texas groundwater resources, septic system maintenance, well maintenance and construction, and water quality and treatment.”

He said participants may bring well-water samples to the training for screening. The cost is $10 per sample, due when samples are turned in.

“Water samples will be screened for nitrates, total dissolved solids and bacteria,” Gholson said.

Well owners who would like to have their well water sampled can pick up two sample containers from the AgriLife Extension offices in Montgomery County, Walker County or San Jacinto County, or the Lone Star Groundwater Conservation District Office. The containers are free and instructions are included.

Bringing water samples to the training is not required, Gholson said, but those wanting to have water samples analyzed must attend.

Gholson said space is limited, so attendees are requested to register by contacting TWON at http://twon.tamu.edu/training or by calling 979-845-1461 as soon as possible.

The training is one of several being conducted statewide through the Continued Statewide Delivery of the Texas Well Owner Network project.

“The core content of this program is the same as other trainings, but the information is tailored to local water quality issues and aquifers,” he said.

More than a million private water wells in Texas provide water to citizens in rural areas and increasingly to those living on small acreages at the growing rural-urban interface, according to Gholson.

“Private well owners are independently responsible for monitoring the quality of their wells,” he said. “They are responsible for all aspects of ensuring their drinking water system is properly maintained. This training will help private well owners to understand and care for their wells.”

Funding for the Texas Well Owner Network is through a nonpoint source grant provided by the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. The project is managed by the Texas Water Resources Institute, part of Texas A&M AgriLife Research, the AgriLife Extension and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University.

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